Pride and Prejudice. A timeless classic. A novel written by Jane Austen in 1813, follows the second eldest of the Bennet sisters, Elizabeth Bennet, through her struggles with refinement and the traditional values women of the nineteenth century face. Then comes the arrival of Charles Bingley and his status-conscious friend Fitzwilliam Darcy. Mr. Bingley, a wealthy, good-natured and handsome gentleman, captures the heart of the eldest Bennet sister, Jane, while his friend, Mr. Darcy, tends to bicker more than flirt with Elizabeth. With multiple issues arising, between both Jane and Charles as well as Fitz and Elizabeth, keeping the couples apart, the story takes off with the conquering power of love.

I know. Terribly cheesy. Awfully gushy and romantic, but quite the read for those who love witty banter and taking an unorthodox approach to things. One way to make this love story better? Zombies. Which is exactly what Seth Grahame-Smith did. He took the works of Jane Austen and added the undead to it while beautifully keeping the same plot, character aspects, and story. This is one fanfiction worth the read. Or in this case, the watch. February 5th, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies hits the big screen.

The movie opens with Colonel Darcy going to Kingston manor to take care of a rumored zombie infection. Explaining how a zombie could hide among a crowd unnoticed as Mr. Darcy begins his search, a zombie will have somewhat of a grace period before showing any signs, until he eats his first human brain. In order to find the zombie, Mr. Darcy releases Calliphoridae flies. These blowflies can smell decomposing skin, and cease their buzzing upon doing so. With a gory end to the hidden zombie, Mr. Darcy is on his way, unbeknown to another zombie residing upstairs.

Then the exposition starts with The History of England 1700-1800 in a children’s pop-up book. This explains the first threat of zombies, precautions against them and how society has adjusted to living with the undead. After that the story begins with the Bennet sisters cleaning their many weapons, with news of a potential husband, Mr. Bingley, and the ball he and his family will be throwing. After the sisters gossip about how seemingly perfect Mr. Bingley is, the Bennets all attend the ball. Upon arriving, Mr. Bingley catches the eye of the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, and immediately falls head over heels. His acquaintance, Darcy, though couldn’t be more bored with the events and the Bennet family. Obviously, the two parties stay in contact, though, through the budding relationship between Jane and Mr. Bingley. Thus, more encounters ensue between Elizabeth and Darcy, the two never quite seeming to meet eye to eye.

Throughout the movie, the definite message of feminism is pushed through all the gore and romance, what with the five Bennet sisters constantly kicking butt and showing up the male characters when a zombie is near. Headlining the movie is Lily James as Elizabeth Bennet and Sam Riley as Fitzwilliam Darcy, with Douglas Booth as Charles Bingley and Bella Heathcote playing Jane Bennet. A fantastic love story with even better fight scenes and undead carnage, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is one bloody lovely film.